Service to School program is funneling veterans to the Ivy Leagues.Getty Images

During his time as a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman in the Navy, Anthony Bunkley spent his days jumping out of planes at 15,000 feet and diving underwater in covert missions — all while using his trauma speciality to tend to daily patient sick-calls.

Now, the 27-year-old is employing the skills he learned in the military to tackle a new challenge: studying pre-med and pre-law at Columbia University. “The same dedication is what I use to apply myself to the rigors of academics,” he says. “I’m at school in excess of 12 hours a day.”

Anthony Bunkley is pre-med and pre-law at Columbia University.Courtesy of Anthony Bunkley

The former sailor turned his Ivy League dreams into reality thanks to Service to School, a nonprofit helping active duty service members and veterans find the best college to fit their interests, as well as connecting them with mentors to help work with them through applications and essays.

Bunkley, who was previously deployed to Afghanistan and Asia, and completed service last June, entered Columbia as a sophomore after taking community college classes near his home in Florida, where he lives with his wife and son when he’s not studying in Morningside Heights during the school year.

“It’s amazing. Without Service to School and my mentor, I never would have thought this was a possibility. It’s key to have someone there for you [who] knows how to get into Columbia, Yale [and] Harvard,” Bunkley says.

This free service pairs applicants (who apply online) with veterans, based on shared academic interests, intended major and school preferences. Bunkley’s mentor studied pre-med at Stanford, and helped Bunkley to best express himself in his college essay.

“They’re showing [us] exactly what [we] need to brush up on to get in, and that this is a very real possibility for us,” Bunkley says. “Most of us don’t think that it is.”

Service to School has helped more than 300 applicants get into their top universities, including Ivy League institutions and top 20 MBA and law schools, since it’s founding in 2010, says executive director Beth Morgan.

‘Service to School is so much more than school — it gives veterans friends and [people] to connect to.’

- Anthony Bunkley

“For a new veteran, contact with someone with similar aspirations who has already recently gone through the transition bolsters their confidence,” she says.

And that confidence continues after degrees have been earned: Alumni have pursued careers in investment banking, non-profits, law, education and more.

When Bunkley graduates in two years, he’ll first pursue law school, and then continue to med school to become a surgeon, with the goal of eventually practicing medical-based law.

As he focuses on his undergrad studies right now, he’s grateful for the guidance and ongoing support from the program.

“It’s a hard transition [to civilian life]. To know you have a fellow vet to talk to and bounce things off of is key. Service to School is so much more than school — it gives veterans friends and [people] to connect to.”